The present invention relates to roof support, and in particular, to tile roof support apparatus for solar panels.
Satellite dishes and solar panels are often supported upon a roof. These loads stand off from the roof shingles and require support for their weight. These loads may also experience lateral or upward forces which may be caused by large gusts of wind.
Attaching support for tile roofs presents a special problem due to their uneven surfaces and the ceramic and cement material of the tiles which may be brittle. In this case, the roof supports cannot be attached on top of the tile roof. Roof rafters and under-lying decking (like plywood or planking) typically provide the support required to mount loads such as satellite dishes and solar panels to tile roofs. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a tile roof 100 which may require a mounting of a load.
Tile roof 100 includes rows of adjacent tiles 101 interlocked and successively overlapping each other from one row to another. In some instances, the tiles 101 may be attached by nails hammered into holes (e.g. nail 102) which attach each tile to the under-lying plywood 103. The plywood 103 may be covered by tar paper or other protective material (not shown) which provides an additional barrier to moisture. The under-lying plywood 103 is attached to rafter 104 to provide support.
Current support apparatus do not provide adequate support for lateral forces or forces perpendicular to the plane of the roof deck on the supports and may not be rigid enough to prevent movement of the supports. Forces in parallel with the roof line may create pressure on the tiles and may cause cracking of the tiles and subsequent leaks around the area of the support members. Additionally, the loads that require support can be very large. It is generally desirable to improve the load bearing capacity of the support stantions. Finally, given the weight of the loads, it is desirable to mount the support members in underlying rafters or roof support beams. However, such beams typically do not align with the tiles in a way that is conducive for effective mounting. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a roof support apparatus that provides both flexibility and strength in positioning the various points of attachment.
Thus, there is a need for improved roof support. The present invention solves these and other problems by providing tile roof support apparatus for solar panels.